Simon Dach (29 July 1605 – 15 April 1659) was a German
lyrical poet and
hymnwriter
A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...
, born in
Memel,
Duchy of Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the region of Prussia establish ...
(now Klaipėda in
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
).
Early life
Although brought up in humble circumstances (his father was a poorly paid court interpreter for
Lithuanian in
Memel), he received a
classical education Classical education may refer to:
*''Modern'', educational practices and educational movements:
**An education in the Classics, especially in Ancient Greek and Latin
**Classical education movement, based on the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) an ...
in the Domschule of
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...
(now
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
, Russia) and in the Latin schools of
Wittenberg
Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...
and
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...
, and entered the
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg (german: Albertus-Universität Königsberg) was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as the world's second Protestant academy (after the University of Marburg) by Duke Albert of Pruss ...
in 1626 where he was a student of
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
.
[ In 1626, he left Magdeburg to escape both the plague and the ]Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, and returned to his Prussian homeland, settling in Königsberg, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Mid life
After earning his degree, Dach was a private tutor for a time, then was appointed ''Kollaborator'' (teacher) in 1633 and co-rector of the ''Domschule'' (cathedral school) in Königsberg in 1636. In 1639 he was appointed by Adrian Brauer to the Chair of Poetry at the Albertina University in Königsberg.[ This was a post he held until his death. Also, in 1640 he received a doctorate from the University.
Part of his official duties as Chair of Poetry was to create poems for various University celebrations, programs, debates and funeral services of his colleagues – all of these written either Latin or Greek. In 1644, he wrote the play ''Sorbuisa'', which celebrated the centennial of the University of Königsberg.
Dach became one of the prominent heads of the musical Kürbishütte, a group that included, among others, George Weissel, Valentin Thilo, and ]Johann Franck
Johann Fran(c)k (1 June 1618 – 18 June 1677) was a German politician (serving as mayor of Guben and a member of the Landtag of Lower Lusatia) and a lyric poet and hymnist.
Life
Franck was born in Guben, Margraviate of Lower Lusatia. After v ...
. The summer-house of organist and composer Heinrich Albert
Heinrich Friedrich Albert (12 February 1874 to 1 November 1960) was a German civil servant, diplomat, politician, businessman and lawyer who served as minister for reconstruction and the Treasury in the government of Wilhelm Cuno in 1922/1923. ...
became the meeting place of this group of poets, hymnists and musicians, who met in to create new hymns as well as to give readings of their own poetry. This group published eight books of poems and songs from 1638 to 1650, the books meeting with great success. Of the approximately 200 poems and songs contained within the books, Dach had the lion's share, with 125 being his compositions. The songs and hymns contained in these books, especially those of Dach, were sung throughout Germany and frequently appeared in pirated editions.
Later life and poetic success
In Königsberg he became friends with and collaborated with Heinrich Albert
Heinrich Friedrich Albert (12 February 1874 to 1 November 1960) was a German civil servant, diplomat, politician, businessman and lawyer who served as minister for reconstruction and the Treasury in the government of Wilhelm Cuno in 1922/1923. ...
(1604–1651) and Robert Roberthin (1600–1648) and with them formed the ''Königsberger Dichtergruppe'' (loosely translated as the "Königsberg Poets' Association"). In 1639 he was appointed professor of poetry at Königsberg through the influence of his friend Roberthin. He sang the praises of the house of the Electors of Brandenburg
This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...
in a collection of poems entitled ''Kurbrandenburgische Rose, Adler, Lowe und Scepter'' (1661), and also produced many occasional poems
Occasional poetry is poetry composed for a particular occasion. In the history of literature, it is often studied in connection with orality, performance, and patronage.
Term
As a term of literary criticism, "occasional poetry" describes the wo ...
, several of which became popular; the most famous of them is "Anke von Tharaw öss, de my geföllt" ''Anke van Tharaw'' (rendered from Low Saxon
Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of th ...
by Herder into Standard German as "Ännchen von Tharau
"Ännchen von Tharau" (Low Prussian: "Anke van Tharaw") is a 17-stanza poem by the East Prussian poet Simon Dach. The namesake of the poem is Anna Neander (1615–1689), the daughter of a parson from Tharau, East Prussia (now known as Vladimirovo i ...
"), composed in 1637 in honor of the marriage of a friend.[
Among Dach's best-known hymns, many of which are still sung, are the following: "Ich bin ja, Herr, in deiner Macht", "Ich bin bei Gott in Gnaden durch Christi Blut und Tod", and "O, wie selig seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen."] In all, he wrote over 150 hymns, and a number of poems, and was considered the leading figure of the hymnists and poets of Königsberg.
Published works
* ''Handbuch des Kantorendienstes: Einf. u. Handreichung zu einem wiederentdeckten Dienst in d. Gemeinde''
Poems of note
:Sonnet
:''Ueber den Eingang der Schloßbrücke'' (1641)
:Lied der Freundschaft
References
''Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary Handbook, Biographies and Sources''
Literature
* Alexander J. Birt: ''Simon Dach''. Gräfe & Unzer, Königsberg i.P. 1905.
* Bruno Nick: ''Das Naturgefühl bei Simon Dach''. – Greifswald, Univ. Diss., 1911.
* August Gebauer (Hrsg.): ''Simon Dach und seine Freunde als Kirchenlieddichter''. Osiander, Tübingen 1828.
* Heinrich Stiehler: ''Simon Dach''. Hartung, Königsberg i.P., 1896.
* Hermann Österley: ''Simon Dach''; Tübingen 1876.
* Alfred Kelletat (Hrsg.): ''Simon Dach und der Königsberger Dichterkreis''. Stuttgart: Reclam 1986.
* Alfred Kelletat: ''Simon Dach und der Königsberger Dichterkreis,'' P. Reclam jun., 1986,
* Barbara Sturzenegger: ''Simon Dach und Paul Fleming: Topoi der Freundschaft im 17. Jahrhundert.'' Diss. Bern 1996.
*
* Axel E. Walter (Hrsg.), ''Simon Dach (1605–1659)''. Berlin, de Gruyter, 2008.
*
External links
*
Bücher von und über Simon Dach bei der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
Encyclopædia Britannica Simon Dach
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20020117211404/http://www.ni.schule.de/~pohl/literatur/sadl/barock/dach.htm Kurzbiographie und Texte*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dach, Simon
1605 births
1659 deaths
17th-century German poets
German Lutheran hymnwriters
People from the Duchy of Prussia
People from Klaipėda
17th-century hymnwriters
German male poets
Lyric poets
17th-century German male writers
Occasional poets
Baroque writers